Make no mistake about it. Today’s structural engineers—together with their colleagues in the architectural and construction industries—face unique challenges and a myriad of opportunities. Construction inefficiencies and systems pitting design professionals against contractors have forced owners to demand a better system of project delivery.

The coupling of building information modeling (BIM) with integrated project delivery (IPD) now enables a level of collaboration that not only improves efficiency and reduces errors, but also enables exploration of alternative approaches and expansion of market opportunities. The result of this merging of new processes with technologies promises to greatly enhance the value and reputation of the structural engineer.

With buildings and infrastructure subject to natural disasters, terrorism, increasing design complexity, as well as natural wear and tear, structural engineering as we know it is growing more important. BIM has started to transform the way many structural engineering firms do business, directly influencing their rapidly evolving practices. Less visible, and no less important, however, is the collaborative potential of combining BIM and IPD.

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